Meeting a new friend while Hitchhiking in New Zealand

Our first attempt at hitch hiking was from the suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand, into the city. Almost immediately, a car pulled over to pick us up and as we climbed in, full of elation, we met our (Saint) Helen; who insisted on driving us ALL the way to our destination. We left the car, thinking our paths would never cross again.

However, the very next day, on Christmas Eve, while enjoying our picnic of chips, guacamole and Pico de Gallo—along the Hutt River— when our Saint Helen strolled by! We eagerly invited her over join our picnic. While talking naturally, as old friends would have, she invited us over to her friend Clive’s. Claiming she didn’t want us to be alone on Christmas. We sat in Clive’s Jacuzzi, drinking in the city view, and some wine! Helen came to our rescue a week later, letting us crash at her place before our 2am ferry to the south island, and even paid for our cab too!

Read: Skydiving 15,000 feet over Queenstown – another firsthand travel story.

Heading to New Zealand? Here are all of our handy guides to help you out:

• best hostels in Auckland
• best hostels in Christchurch
• best hostels in Queenstown
• The Dwellington part of the 3 best hostels in Wellington

Find all of the 34 best hostels in New Zealand here.